Method and mead s fob setting bbick mechanically in spaced begulab



w. w. DICKINSON, JR. METHOD AND MEANS FOR SETTING BRICK MECHANICALLY IN SPACED REGULAR RELATION AS IN KILNS AND THE LIKE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN..6, 1919.

Patented Mar. 23, 1920.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

w. 'w. DICKiNSON, JR. METHOD AND MEANS FOR SETTING BRICK MECHANICALLY IN SPACED REGULAR RELATION AS IN KILNS AND THE LIKE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 6. m9.

Patented Mar. 23, 1920.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2- Z5 1! IIIIIIIIII.

I I I I I I I ll L I I II I. I I l L I I I I l I l I I I I I '4 I Wm M Au M84014: M d

W. W. DICKINSON, JII.

METHOD AND MEANS FOR SETTING BRICK MECHANICALLY IN SPACED REGULAR RELATION AS IN KILNS AND THE LIKE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 6. I919.

1,334,892. Patented Mar. 23, 1920.

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0 III f O I 7 i 6 W. W. DICKINSON, In. METHOD AND MEANS FOR SETTING BRICK MECHANICALLY IN SPACED REGULAR'RELATION AS IN KILNS AND THE LIKE.

APPLICATION FILED IAN-6,1919.

Patented Mar. 23, 1920.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4- rrn srarns PATENT li litllj.

WILLIAM XV. DICKINSON, JR, (ll? LITEELE ROCK, AIRKANE'AS.

METHOD AND MEANS FOR SETTING BEIGE MECEANIGALLY IN SPACED REGULAR RELATION, AS IN KILNS AND THE LIKE.

Original application filed March 25, 1918, Serial No. 224,461.

To all tUibOf/L may concern:

Be it known. that I, lVILLIAM lVALLAon DICKINSON, J12, a citizen of the United States, residing at Little Rock, in the county of Pulaski and State of Arkansas, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Methods and Means for. Setting Brick Mechanically in Spaced Regular Relation, as in Kilns and the like, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accon'ipany- .ing drawings.

This invention relates to the manufacture of bricks and has for its general object to li'llPl'OfG the methods and appliances for iandling the bricks between the time of their delivery by the brick machine to the time when they are set upon the conveyance whereby they are transported to the user,

application No. -224l,461 filed March 25, 1918.

More particularly the object of this invention concerns the provision of a device whereby unburned brick can be set in predetermined spaced relation. upon a kiln for the purpose of drying or burning the same, or whereby burned brick can be transported tlrom place to place and deposited in predetermined piled relation Without manual handling. In my accompanying applicationfiled March. 20, 191.8, Serial No. 223,555, I have illustrated certain brick conveying pallets together with means for transporting those pallets from point to point and for loading the same with bricks arranged in ordered ranks; the preent application concerns more pal icula ly the methodand means of discharging said bricks from said pallets s as to produce a kin. or other ordered pile without breaking or crushing the bricks themselves and without the necessity of manual handling; while the construction of pal-let it if and the carrier thereof contes the sulriect matter of a third applitlled hi arch 27, 1918, Serial No.

drawings zirconipanying; and form this application I have shown a many operative forms in which in in vci'ition may be embodied and performed; although it will he understood that those drawings are merely illustrative and not limiting of my invention. in these Specification of Letters Patent.

this application being a division of my prior" Patented Mar. 23, 1920.

Divided and this application filed January 6,

Serial No. 269,782.

drawings Figure 1 is a diagramn'iatic view of my improved system; Fig. :2 is a detail view showing the method of removing the pallets from and restoring them to the transporting device; Fig. 3 is a sectional view on the line 33 of Fig. 2; Fig. 4: illustrates the method of discharging the bricks from the pallet and of setting the same in spaced relation as in building a kiln; Fig. 5 illustrates the method of forming the kilnarches; Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a portion of the pallet carrier; Fig. 7 is a top plan view of the carrier and the pallet thereon at the instant of discharging the bricks therefrom and Fig. 8 illustrates in side elevation a rail-car having a pallet thereon.

Describing the drawings with regard. to the reference characters thereon, A represents a conveying belt or chute, B a dry house, and C a kiln shed or kiln yard. 1) represents a transporting system of any convenient or suitable type, such as ea run ning upon a track or an endless moving belt or cable. In the present embodiment I have shown the same as passing by the conveyer A so that the pallet thereon may receive the bricks delivered thereby either in the mode illustrated in my copending application, Serial No. 223,555 or in any other suitable manner; I have next shown the transport ing device as passing through the dry house, so that the bricks on the pallets may be dried, either by passing the cars very slowly through that house, or by removing the pallets from the transportingmechanism and resting the same on shelves or brackets during the drying period; I have next shown the transportine svstem as passing through into the kilirshed, so as to deliver the pallets inclose proximity to the kilns; and l have finally shown the transporting mecha nism as returning to the starting point. As far as the pre ent invention is concerned the origin of the bricks is wholly ii'ninaterial, as is also the mode of their disposition upon the pallets.

Traversing the kiln shod (I I have shown the tracks E E of a traveling crane, which in the present embodim cut I have also shown as extending through the drying house C so that the same crane can be employed for moving the pallets from the transporter to the drying bracket, or from the transporter to the kilns, or from the drying brackets to the kilns. The crane preferably comprises a rectangular frame F supported by suitable wheels GG upon the tracks E, and itself forming a transverse track for the wheels HH ot the car I. Mounted upon the car I is the rotary turn table J carrying the hoisting drums K and L. The frame F is driven along the rail C by the motor M; the car I is driven along the frame F by the motor N; the turntable J is rotated by the motor 0; the drum K is operated by the motor P and the drum L is operated by the motor R; these motors are governed by suitable controllers located in the o1 )erators cage Q which depends trom the platform I as usual in traveling cranes. Depending from the drum K are the talls S. and depending from tne drum L are the falls T. It will be understood that the foregoing crane construction is illustrative merely and that numerous other conveying expedients can be employed within the scope of my invention.

The carrying device herein shown consists of a large, flat, rectangular tray or pallet preteral'ily provided with spacer. transverse strips defining brick receiving channels, the length and width of the pallet being sutficient to hold the desired number of bricks. Preferably, in case the pallet is to be used in kilnbuilding, least eommensurable with) the width ot the body of the kiln which is to be built therefrom, in the present embodiment shown at thirty feet; while its width depends upon the width of the tram-wayor conveyor or upon the width of the passageways through which the same must pass. In the present embodiment I have shown a pallet having a width of eight ifG-Ql, thereby holdingten bricks of ordinary size arranged end to end.

Each of the brick carriers or pallets here shown comprises a pair of longitudinal wood stringers 1, 1, upon which are secured trans verse planks l, 2, surmounted by a thin steel plate 3 which covers the whole device and upon the top t which are screwed or bolted the transverse str ps 4.-'l. These trips are spaced apart a distance necessary to receive whatever number of bricks are to be introduced between them. In the present c: T have shown the bricks as delivered in pairs. that being one eonnnon mod-o ot delivering bricks from brick machines and building the same into kilns at the present day. a lthough other arrangement can be employed within the scope of? my invention. A thirty toot pallet so arranged presents seventy grooves, so that its load is fourteen hundred bricks, and the total. weight of bricks and pallet is about three tons. Ot course the pallet could be made considerably smaller or somewhat larger if desired.

hen the pallet is arranged for the purpose of building a kiln. as illustrated term.

its length is equal to (or at.

the width of the strips is such as to allord the desired lateral spacing of the bricks in. that kiln. .ln case the carrying device is to be used for the purpose of building other structures than kilns or of loading, or transferring, or piling burned bricks. its construction and size will naturally be changcd according to the work in view and the amount of movement necessary.

In order to discharge the bricks from the carrying device the same is first convevcd to the point where the bricks are to be set down, then inclined to such an angle that the bricks will slide easily and smoothly therefrom and finally drawn slowly rearwardly, while maintaining its lower edge closely adjacent to the supporting surface on which the bricks are to be laid. whereupon the bricks will slide gently and uniformly from their channels and be set down in exactly the predetermined rclu. ion. For the purpose of building a kiln this method offers peculiar and unusual :ulvantagcs: for not only are the bricks spaced apart laterally by the width of the strips 4:. l. but the mode o'li their ejection from the pallet causes them to assume relatively angular positions at the moment of leaving the same. as shown in Fig. l which wedges the adjacent bricks apart. and produces a uniform longitudinal separation. The result that by laying adjacent courses at right angles to each other (which is easily cli'ected by rotating the turn-table rl) a perfectly uni'lorni regular porous pile can be constructed. ln building a kiln directly from the pallets it is desirable that only one layer ol' bricks be p. iced upon the pallet at a time. since plural layers interfere with each other and do not produce equal spacing. but it is entirely feasible to transport and, discharge a plural- .ity of layers simultaneously. especially ilthc inclination oi discharge be decreased and pushing means employed to assist the ame.

For handling pallets I prefer the construction shown in Figs. 2. i and (i consisting of a carrier adapted to hang substan tially horizontal when suspended {1'0 the crane. and capable of being tilted in such a way to ati'ord the pallet the necessary inclination. Tnis carrier compriws a rigid metal Frame 10. n'elcrably o't lrusscd vollstructiou. adapted to ovcrlic the pallet and having at one side a (l ]')(ll(llll portion to which are securczba plurality oi still inclnl arinsll. ll. adapted to underlie the pallets in supporting relation. 'lhcse arms extend parallel to each other parallel to the strips on the pallets and are provided with projcctions adaptcd to engage suilablc abutments on the pallets. such as the side ol' one o? the stringers l. and prevent the pallet tron: $Tll;')l 7ll. f1'. The jtrau c is provided at the point nearest the tree ends oi the arms .h anchorage l3 tor a cable ll lo which lilll are attached the falls S; and the rearward part of the frame is provided with another anchorage 1.5 for a cable 16 to which are attached the falls T. Each anchorage is preferably made double and the corresponding cable attached in the familiar V fashion so as to diminish side sway or teetering of tlu: carrier; and the forward anchorage 1.3 is located at such a point as always to lie forward of the center of gravity of the carrier and pallet even when the entire load is confined to the forward edge of that pallet. The other anchorage 15 is located upon the opposite side of the center of gravity so that by suitable relative movement of the falls the carrier and pallet can be given any desired inclination. within wide limits.

In order to permit the insertion of the carrier-arms beneath the pallets, the latter are supported in such wise upon the trans porting device as toafford the necessary space therebeneath. Thus. in the case of the cable conveyor shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the ropes or cables 20 which ordinarily pass over the tops of suitable rollers 21 carried on suitable standards 22, may be abruptly depressed and caused to pass beneath the pulleys 24, 24, additional idle rollers 25, 25, being provided for the reception of the pallets and affording sufficient space beneath those pallets for the insertion of the arms 11 as clearly shown in Fig. 3. In case a car is employed as shown in Fig. 8, the top or floor 30 of the car is preferably provided with spaced blocks 31, 31 so spaced and of such height that the arms can be inserted therebetween. The width of the carrier depends upon the length of the pallet, and the spacing of the fingers 1.1 upon the strength and stiffness of that pallet. I prefer to locate the same between three and four feet apart.

The arrangement and construction of the kilns as shown at C is entirely independent of the present invention, although I prefer to construct and arrange them as illustrated, described and claimed. in my copending application filed March 18, 191.8, Serial No. 223,026. The transporting device C is preferably arranged to make a right-angular turn. at some point within the travel of the crane, such as shown at 35 in Fig. 1, so that the orientation of the pallet will depend upon. whether it is picked up at one side or the other side of that turn. Also the dry house, when used, preferably has its shelves or brackets arranged. at right angles to each other as shown at W, so as to allow the pallets to be set thereon in either position. This expedient diminishes the necessity of swinging the pallets in mid-air, although this is entirely possible if desired and in fact has to be done in case the pallet is not entirely emptied when one course is completed; however I prefer to use the turntable chiefly for the purpose of changing the relative position of the falls since the rotation of the entire pallet, particularly when loaded, tends to set up violent torsional vibrations.

In the use of the apparatus and the per formance of the method here disclosed, the pallet loaded in any suitable manner having been brought beneath the crane, the carrier is inserted beneath the pallet and the latter raised, the falls being operated simultaneously so as to maintain the arms and pallet substantially horizontal. Upon arrival at the place of discharge, the falls S are lowered, and the falls T are raised so as to incline the pallet and to present it closely to the receiving surface as shown in Fig. 5, after which the appropriate motor M or N is set in operation so as to draw the pallet horizontally across the receiving surface in a direction opposite to that in which the pallet is inclined. In starting a new layer of bricks in an exposed position, a suitable guide is preferably employed, such as a plank 36, held in place by workmen until the first brick of the series has been deposited. If it is desired to build only a narrow pile, for example such a pile as exists between the adjacent arches at the bottom of the kiln, it is possible to stop the dis charge of bricks at any moment merely by elevating the falls S and releasing the falls T, as shown in Fig. 4; in such a case the transverse courses are constructed, either by loading the pallet originally only as to certain grooves (which may be conveniently marked with paint or the like) or by preventing discharge in certain of the grooves by suitable gates or obstructions. For this reason the device is useful for a great many purposes other than building kilns; and even in kiln building. it is customary to inclose the interior of the kiln with hand-laid walls after the middle part has been laid as illustrated herein; and for the delivery of the necessary bricks to the workmen, I preferably employ the same discharging arrangement, piling the bricks upon the ground along the side of the kiln in any desired order and arrangement by means of my improved apparatus.

The rapidity of laying the kilns depends upon the nature of the clay and its condiv ill) tion when delivered thereto; some clays can be built into the kiln immediately upon pressing and without any drying whatever, provided not too many courses be laid in any one day; in such a case three or four courses may be laid over a large number of kilns, and additional courses may be deposited thereon. on succeeding days. Other clays are necessarily dried before handling after which they may be built into kilns as rapidly as desired. When a drying house is used, its construction is largely immaterial; for example the bricks may be dried on small pallets or singly and placed upon the large pallets herein described after the drying is completed; or the large pallets can be loaded previously, and the bricks dried thereon, either by passing said pallets slowly in a continuous manner through a heated chamber, or by setting said pallets off on to brackets or shelves and leaving them for the requisite time. For the purposes of this invention the method of loading and conveying the pallets is not important since the loading may be done either by hand or machine, and the conveying by push-ear, cable-car, cable-carriers, or animal-drawn vehicles.

It Will be understood that I do not limit myself to the force of gravity as the sole means for discharging the bricks from the carrier. Within the scope of my invention I may employ a pushing means to assist the same as already suggested. For example, I have shown such a deviee in Fig. 5 wherein 40 represents a suitable pusher bar carrying one or more racks 21 perpendicular thereto and meshing vvith a pinion or pinions 42 carried by the frame 10 and adapted to be operated by suitable means such for example as the crank 43. Also it Will be understood that the invention is not necessarily limited to a device presenting a large number of grooves or chutes, or to any specific type of pallet, carrier, crane, or other device except as distinctly specified in the claims.

It Will also be understood that my improved brick handling mechanism is not restricted to the building of kilns or other structures since the bricks can, if desired, be deposited upon some other receiving surface, such as an intermediate pallet, Wagon, or car and thence transferred to any place desired, in which case the brick-carrier instead of being of the size of a kiln will be made considerably smaller. It is also obvione that the transporting devices can be at tached more directly to the brick receiving device than I have specifically illustrated and I do not restrict myself to the employ ment of carrying device or pallet separate from the supporting and conveying devices except as and Where specifically claimed. It will also be understood that by illustrating the bricks laid upon the carrying device in a single course or layer only, I am not restricted against the simultaneous handling and discharging of a plurality of layers except as to the few claims wherein this limitation is specifically recited.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim is:

1. In apparatus of the type described, in combination, a supporting device adapted to receive a plurality of laterally spaced rows of longitudinally abutting brick, means for transporting said supporting device from point to point and tor presenting it above a receiving surface, means for inclining said su iporting device in the direction of said rows 0; brick yvhile so presented above such surface. means for moving said supporting device bodily along such suritace while so inclined, and means carried by the supporting device to guide each row of bricks during the discharging operation.

In apparatus of the type described, in combination, a. supporting device having a plurality o'l spaced grooves or chutes thereon adapted tor the reception oi brick in longitudinal rows, means for transporting said device to a point above a receiving surface and for inclining it in the direction ol such rows, and means for moving said device bodily along such surlace in a direction opposite to its direction of inclinatimi.

3. In apparatus oi the type described, in combination. a supporting device having a plurality o't' spaced grooves or chutes thereon adapted for the reception ot brick in longitudinal rows. means For transporting said device to a point above a receiving surface. means for orienting said device to point said rows in any desired direction, means tor inclining said device in the direction of orientation, and means for moving said device bodily in a. direction opposite to its direction of orientation while maintaining its inclination substantially constant.

t. In 11313211113118 of the type described, in combination, a. pallet having spaced grooves or chutes thereon adapted for the. reception of brick in longitudinal rows, means for transportin said pallet from point to point, means tor removing said. pallet bodily from said transporting means and for presenting the same above a. receiving surface, means for inclining said pallet while so presented. and means for moving said. pallet parallel to the receiving surface during the discharge of the bricks thereon.

5. The combination with pallets having spaced grooves thereon adapted for the reception of brick in longitudinal rows, of means tor transporting said pallets in a. horizontal plane, a traveling crane, a pallet carrier supported by said crane, means for orienting said carrier, said transporting device making a right angle turn Within the limit of movement of said crane whereby said pallets may be presented in either terrestrial direction, and means carried by said crane for inclining a pallet in the direction of its orientation.

6. The combination with a. brick carrying device having a receiving part adapted for the reception of parallel rows of longitudinally abutting bricks, said device having a "forwardly facing discharging side perpendicular to said rows, of means for transrecipes porting said device with its rows substantially horizontal, and for presenting the same with. its discharging side above and close to a horizontal receiving surface, means for moving said device horizontally rearwardly over said. surface in a direction parallel. to said rows while preventing the bricks from accompanying such horizontal movement, whereby the latter will be deposited in orderly rows, and means for imparting to the bricks an inclined. position at the instant of their discharge.

'2'. The combination with a brick carrying device having spaced parallel channels adapted for the reception of rows of bricks arranged end to end, said device having a discharging side perpendicular to said rows, of means for moving said device horizontally in a direction parallel to said channels, means for presenting said device above a horizontal receiving surface with said discharging side close to and parallel with the same, means for moving said device bodily across said receiving surface in a horizontal plane and in a direction opposite to the direction in which said discharging side faces, and simultaneously preventing the horizontal. movement of said bricks whereby the latter are deposited upon said receiving surface in orderly rows, and means for imparting to the bricks an inclined position at the instant of their discharge.

8. The combination with a brick carrying device having spaced parallel channels adapted for the reception of rows of bricks arranged end to end, said device having a discharging side perpendicular to said rows, of means for moving said device horizontally in a direction parallel to said channels, means for presenting said device above a horizontal receiving platform with said discharging side close to and parallel with the same, means for moving said device bodily across said receiving surface in a horizontal plane and in a direction opposite to the direction in which said discharging side faces, and simultaneously preventing the horizon tal movement of said bricks whereby the latter are deposited in orderly rows, and means for shifting by 90 the relative position of said device and platform between the deposition of successive courses whereby the rows of such courses will be perpendicular to each other.

9. ln mechanism of the character de scribed, the combination, with a brick carrying device adapted for the reception of bricks in orderly rows, of means for moving said device horizontally while preventing the bricks from accompanying such movement, whereby said bricks will be deposited upon a receiving surface, means for guiding said bricks during such deposition, and means for imparting to each brick at the instant of its deposition an inclined position relatively to the brick ahead.

10. In mechanism of the character described, the combination, with a brick carrying device adapted to receive rows of longitudinally abutting bricks, of means for holding said bricks against horizontal movement while simultaneously withdrawing said carrying device from beneath said bricks, whereby the latter may be deposited in orderly relation upon a receiving surface, and means for imparting to each brick at the instant of its deposition an inclined position relatively to the brick ahead.

11. The method of setting bricks upon a receiving surface which consists of, first, loading the bricks in the desired relation upon a carrying device, second, moving said device to a position above and close to the receiving surface, and inclined in the direction of discharge, and, finally, drawing said device past the receiving surface in a direction opposite to its inclination, while preventing said bricks from accompanying said device whereby they will be deposited upon said surface.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto affix my signature,

WIlLLLilll W. DICKINSON, JR. 

